RPG, what do these initials stand for? Besides being a two handed man cannon used to blow up crowds, RPG stands for role playing game. These are games where you get to create or control your own character, level up as you progress through the world, and play an active role. The first RPG to ever come into existence was Dungeons and Dragons, a pen and paper board game created by the genius Gary Gygax and is still relevant to this day. I actually have quite a few friends who play Dungeons and Dragons. There is a D&D club at my high school and my friends would stay there late at night seeing how many monsters they can slay using swords, daggers, spells, and much more. I have even been told there are campaigns that last on forever.
I believe the reason Dungeons & Dragons is so successful is not just because it’s fun to play, but because it’s a game that requires imagination and engagement with what is going on. You don’t get any pictures to simulate what you are doing, you have to come up with what is happening in your head and do a decent job describing it towards your friends. Of course people have always wanted to see an RPG with actual physical visuals, and it wasn’t until the coming of video games that RPGs could be illustrated and fully simulated. The first video game RPG to be released was Dragonstomper on the Atari 2600, then it was Bosozoku Wars on the Sharp X1 computer, but what really set the stone for video game RPGs was Dragon Quest. This was the first fully simulated video game RPG that got the genre going, and would be further fleshed out by its brethren Final Fantasy published under the same company Square Enix. Final Fantasy had way more complex writing compared to other games at the time, a world full of imagination, fun turned-based combat with complexity and depth, and everything to make a great video game. Soon there would be dozens of other video game RPGs. Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Pokemon, Fallout, Planescape Torment, and even Nintendo would attempt to bring Mario into the realm of RPGs. The genre never wore out, and developers would try out new tactics to keep RPGs relevant.
They would blend it together with other genres to make entirely new categories. Action RPGs, tactical strategy, MMOs, the stuff you see today. There have been quite a few good modern RPGs. FromSoftware made Bloodborne and Dark Souls which provided fulfilling challenges for the most hardcore of gamers while building a dark setting through characters and locations. Disco Elysium is a narrative driven RPG with incredible writing that addresses numerous political topics and pays respects to classics like Planescape Torment or Baldur’s Gate. Recently, Yoko Taro succeeded with Nier: Automata which is an emotional action packed experience that dives into the topic of human existence and why we choose to live on. Persona 5, one of my personal favorites, reminds us that turn-based JRPGs can still be fun and tells a compelling story about maintaining a positive view on life no matter how much it tries to pull you down to misery. Fallout: New Vegas sticks to the roots of the older Fallout games while still modernizing it in a way appeasing to new gamers. Then there’s The Witcher 3, which I don’t really have any interest in but can still respect for it’s world building.
There’s one specific game I wanted to talk about today. One that I hold very close to my heart. Much like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, it was published by Square Enix. Sadly they didn’t care about its development cycle, and didn't put much effort into advertising it. Which is weird, because it’s a game that pays homage and respect to the RPGs they made long ago. The RPGs which helped pave the way for the titles we just described and mentioned. A game with a lot of good ideas that outsmart the design choices of many modern JRPGs, even the likes of Persona 5, but is carried down by a couple flaws which is a shame. It’s my first RPG, the title that got me into RPGs, and surprisingly became my Game of The Year back in 2018. It’s an underrated work of art sent out to die. I’m talking about Octopath Traveler, one of the most underrated RPGs in recent memory. This game is truly amazing. I’ve poured several hours into it, done almost everything it had to offer, and it wasn’t until recently that I decided to start a new playthrough. You know what? It still holds up really well! Octopath Traveler may not be a game for everyone due to its classical JRPG design and how it’s aimed towards a niche audience, but if you give it a chance you might find the redeeming qualities lying within. It’s the game’s second anniversary, so why not shed some light onto it? I was originally planning on doing a basic review, but to fully explain why I think this game is an underestimated masterpiece I have to explain to you why I love this game so damn much. Octopath Traveler is severly underrated and here's why.
A Bravely Team
Let’s first talk about the masterminds who made this brilliant game, Masashi Takahashi and Tomoya Assano. Octopath Traveler wasn’t the first game they produced, but rather another JRPG sent out to die by Square Enix back in 2014. Bravely Default, a game that paid respects to classic JRPG roots and game design much like Octopath Traveler who can be viewed as the successor to Bravely. It wasn’t a financial success, as it sold like only one million copies worldwide probably due to how it was exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS, but it was considered a success for the team. When you're making a new game then any signs of positive reception is worth feeling proud about. Many JRPG fans praised it for what it did and it has a cult following. The team behind Bravely Default tried making a sequel named Bravely Second: End Layer, and while it too was a pretty good game it sold less copies than the original. I want to set something clear before moving forward. I actually never played Bravely Default. The game looks cool, I have a Nintendo 3DS to play it on, but finding a physical copy of Bravely Default these days is very hard. They are making a true sequel, Bravely Default 2, scheduled to be released in the future. I’m super excited for it, especially since I loved Octopath Traveler.
Anyways, the team behind the Bravely Default series wanted to make a new IP. One that would carry on the lessons they learned from bravely and bring it to more advanced hardware. They started working on their new project which they titled Project Octopath Traveler, and they revealed it in 2017. They stated it would be a Nintendo Switch exclusive due to Square Enix’s partnership with Nintendo, and wanting to capitalize on the success of the Nintendo Switch. A demo was released later that year and reception for it was mostly positive. Players loved what was showcased and were somewhat excited with what was in store. That's when the developers decided to kick the project into full gear. They wanted each component of the game to be as tight and well designed as possible. No lagging, no bugs, and no cutting corners. Just fun gameplay, a nice selection of fantasy themed stories, and a colorful open world to explore. In 2018 they released the full product, Octopath Traveler, and while it wasn’t one of the best selling titles of that year it was possibly one of the best quality games of the year. It was nominated for quite a few awards and should have earned them, but obviously those rewards instead went to games like Red Dead Redemption 2. Probably because Octopath Traveler wasn’t aiming to be a high tech game or showcase what modern games could be. It wants to respect and remain stuck in the past, while series like God of War and Monster Hunter were making leaps forward. Yet, Octopath Traveler is great because even though its identity is based on ones which already exist it does enough to stand on its own. Octopath Traveler is great and we may never see a sequel for a game that is so faithful to all it's influencers and what they inspired. I’m glad this game came into existence and the team’s work paid off as they delivered a well made product. It has flaws, but it's not the unfinished Triple A garbage and rushed projects we see from the industry now. Which is something I can always appreciate.
The Heroes of Octopath
We follow the role of eight characters, each with their own goals and places to be. All of the eight characters are stereotypical fantasy heroes and the writers are aware of this as they give them really predicted tropes. Yet they somehow subvert them and we’ll address this shortly. Ophillia Clement, a young cleric who must take the role of Bearer of The Flame when her sister is devastated by the illness their father has taken. Cyrus Albright, a scholar who ventures out of the Academy of Atlasdam in search of an ancient tome named From The Far Reaches of Hell which disappeared from the archives. Tressa Colzione, a merchant who wants to travel around the land and go outside her home town for once. Olberic Eisenberg, a retired warrior who fought in a great war and is hunting down his old companion Erhardt who was responsible for the death of the king they served. Primrose Azelhart seeks vengeance against the three men who murdered her father. Alfyn Greengrass, an apothecary who wants to help people even if they don’t offer him money in return. Therion, a thief who must redeem himself after trying to break into a manor of a royal family by collecting the missing dragonstones of a noble family. Finally H’annit, a huntress always aided by her feline companion, who is trying to find her missing mentor who hasn't returned in years.
There’s a lot of problems that can arise when attempting to tell ight individual stories at once. The first problem being the quality of each character and their tales can range from excellent to under-developed, and the second problem being you can struggle to relate each story together and make a connected narrative. The last problem being really easy to see as characters never intrude on each other’s scenes, don’t seem to get involved with each others journeys besides having a few quick conversations which attempt to show some sort of relationship, and none of the stories coming together until an endgame dungeon and a few key details which require you to pay close attention. You can say the idea of telling eight stories at once was not thoroughly thought out and other big RPGs like Mass Effect and Fallout have dialogue that accommodates party members being there. However, I somewhat disagree with the opinion that companions and party members always have to intrude in dialogue sequences. I can get why players love these aspects as it not only makes them more involved with what is going on, but feels natural. It just feels annoying when someone on the sidelines has to butt in and make their presence. This can also potentially disturb the mood of a scene and the main focus they were going for.
By placing a strong focus on each story at the right time you can make a more well developed and higher quality set of narratives. Even if they follow certain tropes and can be predictable they are at least engaging and you want to learn more of what happens to a specific character. I mentioned earlier that some characters manage to subvert your expectations or present a plot device you weren’t expecting, and Octopath Traveler does this well. The warrior, Olberic, wants to hunt down his old friend and question why he killed his former king. Surely his old friend was a dishonorable spy from another kingdom and he went on to do more bad things. No, turns out as he hunts his old friend down he finds that he helped a ton of people. He taught other traveling warriors how to fight like him, in the present he protects a desert town from attacking monsters, and eventually he comes to the aid of his former friend when they confront a mad tyrant he once served under. Erhardt is honorable despite having killed a king, who is then described to be corrupt himself, and Olberic has to learn what honor truly is. What defines an honorable person.
This isn’t the only tale which subverted my expectations. H’annit confronts eldritch horrors that her master was trying to hunt down. Primrose questions whether her quest for revenge is truly worth it and if she lives up to the Azelheart name. Then there’s Therion, my most favorite traveler. His story is the most well written as it’s not a tale just about learning to escape. It starts off that way as he is labeled with a shackle with a carving that signals others that he is a thief. A man not to be trusted. Instead his story is learning to move on from his regrets, what he is, and what holds him back. You learn Therion had a partner, a man he once looked up to. Took care of him and taught how to be a thief. Eventually this man tosses Therion away and lets him almost rot to death. This trauma is what taught Therion that no one can be trusted, and surely he can’t be trusted as he too is a thief. He is the way he is because a man forged him to be, and nothing can change what he is defined as. A thief, a person who steals and backstabs others. Yet, through the help of new allies he learns to have trust. He learns not to have just trust in others, but forgiveness in himself and that he can be his own good person without being held back. I know this sounds like way too much for a simple thief story, but this is what I got from Therion.
I also do want to admit Octopath Traveler avoids the problem of having an ever expanding party like in most RPGs. Take Persona 5 for example. There’s a new character introduced almost every chapter, and they are there to help aid with the story and give you more supporting power. The problem with introducing a new character every chapter is that you have to consider how much of the game is left to flesh them out. Where they currently stand and how to develop them as other characters from earlier are being developed. Some feel thrusted in for the sake of plot devices, and you won’t even have enough time to know them as they were introduced so late into the game and you barely have any more days as the final few dungeons approach. Octopath somewhat fixes this problem by allowing you to unlock all eight party members immediately. They don’t connect them with each narrative like I said, but they get their premises out of the way and off you go. To experience each story equally, and not see the dip in quality as much. A great way to prevent party problems seen in a lot of RPGs.
Fleshing Out Orsterra
You may be wondering how Octopath Traveler builds up its world when most of the time you’ll be following stereotypical and easily predictable JRPG protagonists and plotlines. Well, through several elements actually. There’s a lot more history than what lies on the surface. By piecing together the puzzle you get to learn more about the world the game takes place in, Orsterra. We learn from Olberic that the land was once controlled by a king, and that this king made several allies and enemies during his reign. We learn from Ophillia that great gods watch over the land, and how a corrupt dark lord almost destroyed the entire world. I might spoil a few things here, so if you haven’t played the game yet and you’re looking into it I suggest skipping this section.
Each story gives more insight into where we are, why some plot elements are significant, and add more depth. Some of the characters we encounter along each traveler's journey help flesh out the world and sometimes fill in crucial plot points. For example Erhardt, Olberic’s friend, actually had good reasons for killing the old king. Primrose’s father was a royal official of the land and we learn of the duties higher officials had. Sometimes new characters are introduced just to spice up the story, but it’s okay because they're well presented, properly introduced, and help motivate the character's to move forward. For example in Tressa’s story we meet a man named Captain Leon, once a pirate and now a trader like Tressa. He’s super cool, he inspires Tressa to travel around the world and become a kind honest merchant. Then there’s Cordelia, who convinces Therion to =slowly open up to those who dearly want to help.
There are quite a few side quests in this game. Some of them are unlocked while progressing through the game and others are recurring questlines. One of which being Kit, he’s a traveler looking for his long lost father. I would spoil more of it, but that would lead to me talking about endgame content. Anyways, the world building in Octopath Traveler is great! It gives the player enough details to understand what is going on, but not so much where the writers struggle to focus on the main plot and make a compelling world. Most modern games would have to drag you by the hand, but Octopath Traveler lets you go at your own pace. It’s like reading a book, sometimes you want to see what happens next or you just want to take a break and come back later. Speaking of taking a “break” let's move onto combat and its genius systems.
Break and Boost
Octopath’s combat is fun, rewarding, and satisfying to master. It manages to stick to classical turned based strategy while introducing elements that innovate on genre staples. You can only have a total of four travelers at a time, each with their own abilities and classes. Each character and enemy takes one turn each round, and if all your travelers die during combat it’s game over. Some battles may lag on for a bit due the large enemy health pools, but Octopath Traveler has two unique twists to transform these girthy bosses into challenging yet fun fights.
The first is the boost system. Each turn you gain a boost point. You can only hold five boost points max and you can use three boost points max in one turn. Boost points allow you to either attack multiple times in one go or strengthen your traveler’s special abilities. For example, if I use two of Cyrus’ boost points I can attack three times in one turn using a staff, or if I attack with one of Cyrus’ elemental spells using the same two boost points then I can deal more damage than what it would usually do. Now you may be asking yourself right now, “Why would I want to attack multiple times rather than dish out high damage?” To break through their defenses and deal massive damage!
The break system is the second most crucial element of Octopath’s combat. Every enemy has a shield icon on them each with a specific number. If you attack them using a weapon or element they are weak to then the number goes down. If it reaches zero then their defenses break, exposing them for one or two turns and allowing all your attacks to deal critical damage. Sometimes you want to save boost points for when their defenses are down, because that way you can deal more critical damage by charging one of your special attacks. You can use attacks that hit multiple times and hit with one specific damage type. Using Theron's HP and SP Thief ability will allow him to attack twice with a dagger and regain either health or magic, which is better than wasting one boost point to attack two times. It can also be charged up to gain more health or magic back in one turn. Using Olberic’s sweeping Level Slash hits every enemy once with his sword, which is great when you're fighting multiple enemies.
Sometimes enemies or bosses will charge up strong attacks. This is signaled when strange dialogue pops on screen and they start emitting a purple flame. During this time you want to hit them as much as you can to break their defenses. This will cancel their attack, preventing them from possibly killing your team in one hit or inflicting an ailment that will be difficult to get rid of. In most RPGs strong attacks are either unavoidable or hard to predict which is somewhat unfair to the player. Here, Octopath wants the player to know what is going on at all times by giving the signal. Who's taking the next turn and what they can do to prevent a storm of heavy blows. Not only are these powerful purple flamed attacks deadly, but they may even get you to consider who to prioritize during fights. Some bosses will have enemies aiding them, and you have to figure out if you want to eliminate the enemies so they don’t harass you as the fight lingers on or to break the boss’ defenses as they can one shot your party. It feels so awesome when finally all the enemies get wiped out because you actually used your knowledge, skills, planning, and mastery of the mechanics to cut them down.
Learning To Come Prepared
If you have read any of my other reviews or previous essays you know that I prefer having one set difficulty rather than multiple. There are times when multiple difficulty settings can destroy the balance of a game. It’s either the game is too easy and all challenges are removed, or the game is too hard and it’s no longer fun to play. With one set difficulty it means you can’t complain about anything. It’s less based on bad design and more on if you are willing to learn from your mistakes and adapt to the world. There’s nothing bad about having a challenging video game or being harsh to the player. They can be rewarding and memorable experiences, but it really depends if the player is having fun while getting stronger. Some games that come to mind for me when talking about challenging yet well designed experiences that constantly force the player to change their approach would be Hollow Knight, Shovel Knight, Bloodborne, and much more. Octopath Traveler has one set difficulty, meaning every fight is mostly consistent. Some bosses may pummel you into the ground within a few turns, but during that time you have to wonder if you came prepared. Have your travelers leveled up and gained enough strength to stand against the boss? Did you give them new armor or weapons to increase their strength and defense? Did you bring travelers with abilities or weapons the boss is weak to? Questions like these are what keeps the player thinking ahead as the adventure goes on.
Weapons and armor can be bought with gold, but to unlock new abilities you have to earn ability points. These are gained from winning battles, and by using them you can unlock better abilities. One thing I like about progression in Octopath is that by unlocking more abilities you unlock special traits. You can have four equipped to a traveler at a time and they range from increasing stats, giving buffs, or special effects. By unlocking all the abilities you have the chance of unlocking a divine skill. They require a lot of ability points to unlock, but half the time they're worth it. They include using a very powerful attack or giving a special ailment no other ability can give. Therion’s divine skill allows him to attack every enemy on screen with a rain of daggers. Cyrus’ divine skill allows him to target one enemy meaning his elemental spells no longer hit multiple enemies at once, but he attacks the single targeted enemy with increased concentration and damage. H’annit’s divine skill deals massive damage to one foe using her bow. There are many more and knowing what loadouts and skills to bring to a battle to open up the amount of options you have during a fight.
There are also secondary classes to unlock in the game. They are discovered by exploring the world and they allow your travelers to occupy two classes at once. In simpler RPG player terms, there is build variety. Therion is a thief and Ophilia is a cleric. Maybe you want Ophilia to also be a thief, and you want Therion to be a cleric. You can only have one traveler occupy one secondary classic at a time. If you want both Tressa and Primrose to be apothecaries then you can’t. I can understand this design choice, because you don’t want players to have an entire team made up of warriors or scholars and break the game. Plus it gets them to experiment and decide what classes will work with each character best. Around the second half of the game you want all your travelers to have secondary classes, as bosses will eventually start switching between what they are immune and weak to each turn. A boss is weak against spears, bows, and fire. You could bring Cyrus, Tressa, H’annit, and Olberic, but you still need a healer on the team and you don’t have enough turns to break their defenses. You can make Olberic a hunter, H’annit a scholar, and make Ophelia a warrior. Problem solved… kinda.
The main struggle is that sometimes your character's stats may not fit in well with the build you are going for. For example, Cyrus is mainly focused on spells or using magic, so maybe swapping him over to warrior isn’t a good idea since he has low physical damage and defense. Characters like Therion aren’t good at casting spells due to low elemental damage, and so on. Usually try to get the character's main class abilities that you need, because you don’t want to invest so many points into one secondary class and realize it doesn't fit the build you want. For my second playthrough I’ve decided to make Cyrus a merchant and give him wind attacks and the ability to self regenerate SP instead of using plums that can be used on other members.
A majority of JRPGs have set classes and builds for characters. It does mean you never have to worry about stats and the weapons they use, but it also means you don't have much choice on what type of team you want to use. In Persona 5, Yusuke will always use a katana and ice, and you'll never be able to swap what type of damage he uses besides ice. Octopath Traveler strikes that right balance between finding variety, but not making it too confusing to forge a build. In games like Dark Souls or Fallout: New Vegas you need to know what stat a weapon scales in, because if you don't then you may end up wasting points into a category unrelated to the weapon. Octopath Traveler makes it plain, simple, and easy to understand which allows the player to adjust quickly to the game and fight the big bad bosses at the end of each chapter. Some of the bosses will hit like trucks, but at least they're all amazingly introduced. Man.. those fights.
The Bosses of Octopath
Octopath Traveler’s bosses are great, tremendous actually! Now compared to the bosses of other RPGs like Persona 5 or Bloodborne the bosses of Octopath Traveler aren't as consistently themed, but they are interesting. The build up and excitement to Octopath Traveler’s bosses is why I love them so much and still look back even after beating them. The writing does a good job hyping you up for each battle and showing how this major fight will drive the story forward. Some battles feature intense build up, and others take you by complete surprise. The bosses hold up very well once you get to fight them. They test your strategizing, analyzation skills, and may take two or more attempts depending on if you understand their attack pattern. What makes these battles more memorable is how ferocious they look towards the player.
During combat all your travelers are animated with tiny sprites, but the enemies are gigantic, highly detailed, and grotesque at times. They make you feel small and that you're weak, but you work towards bringing them down towards the ground. The bosses in Octopath Traveler are probably the most challenging part of the game and they make up a good portion of it. Each traveler has four chapters and at the end of each chapter there is a boss. Excluding all the optional bosses and a couple of endgame secrets, there are a total of 32 main game bosses combining each character’s story. I had a fun time fighting each one, because the way they handle bosses kinda reminds me of Bloodborne. They're challenging, but once you conquer them it feels grand. The drive and accomplishment may be the thing that pushes the player to keep playing the game. Like your friends getting out of a tough fight during a DnD campaign. Your travelers have a sliver of health and you feel like you're about to die, but you plan out your next move and you deal the final blow. The boss falls onto his knees and fades away from the screen. That’s how you handle a boss! You make them challenging yet fair. You require the player to strategize and prepare.
Pixels, Shine, and Sound
Octopath Traveler runs on the Unreal Engine, one of the most common video game engines besides Unity. Specifically it uses the most recent version of the engine, the Unreal Engine 4. A few examples of games that also run on Unreal Engine 4 to showcase what the engine can handle include The Outer Worlds, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Bloodstained: Ritual of The Night, Abzu, Days Gone, and Gears 4 & 5. All those games look incredibly stunning to most gamers, but you’ll be surprised to hear that Octopath Traveler is made entirely of pixels. The developers did want to capture the feel of classic JRPGs, so that’s why they made everything out of pixels. Indie developers could easily get away with this since pixel graphics are easier to program, but a Triple A is unlikely to make any of this look good. Well, thanks to the Unreal Engine 4 the team behind Octopath Traveler was able to make the game look gorgeous. The world is set on a 3D plane and the characters are all 2D, giving this feeling of reading one of those pop-up storybooks you would read as a kid. Convenient that I brought that up, because the collector’s edition for Octopath Traveler actually contained a pop-up paper tavern where you could display stand up figures of the travelers.
There is a lot of color in this game, and the attention to detail is just jaw dropping. You’ll walk through sparkling snowy mountains, glistening desert sands, the vast waters of the coastlands, and all of it looks incredible to look at. And what makes it better is that the lighting in this game makes characters and locations stand out. The soundtrack in Octopath Traveler is perfect, just perfect. The orchestra they hired to make the soundtrack did a fantastic job to fit the tone of the game. The themes that play when you explore the world are calming, the themes that play during battles are thrilling and bombastic, and the themes that play during cutscenes fit in with the character’s personality and emotions. Not gonna lie, when I first booted up the game and heard the main menu theme I knew I was in for a fantastic adventure. Octopath Traveler has the best video game soundtrack of all time, it's next to a few other favorites like Hollow Knight, Shovel Knight, Persona 5, Outer Wilds, and Hyper Light Drifter. Octopath Traveler wants you to know you're in a fantasy world and it does so brilliantly.
A Few Grinding Problems
Well I spent my time so far praising Octopath, so to balance it out let’s talk about a few more problems the game has. The most obvious flaw is the grinding. Later chapters in the game have level recommendations, they aren’t requirements, but it’s suggested to level up your team to that point so they won’t struggle against the boss. The problem is that these level recommendations are pretty high, and instead of your entire team leveling up together they level up individually. This becomes more of a pain when you can only have four team mates equipped at a time. You complete eight chapters, do one grinding with one selection of characters, then another hour with the other four characters, do the next eight chapters, and repeat the process. It’s tedious, at least in Persona 5 your entire team gains experience points together after every battle. However, it's easy to overlook the grinding when Octopath Traveler’s combat is so well thought out and just satisfying. For me at least, because I know a lot of people find this repetitive. I can ignore the grind when the core gameplay loop is just so addictive.
The next problem is the team leader, the character you choose to play as first will always remain on the team. You can’t swap them out with another traveler until you beat their story which will probably be almost thirty to forty hours into the game depending how long it takes for you to reach that point. It’s not a major problem in my opinion, but there are times when I wanted to use another teammate because they had abilities to help stand a chance against the upcoming boss. However, this problem can vary to players, because if you set up your party leader just right they will never become useless in any sort of fight. I choose Therion as the team leader, because I personally think his abilities are the most useful and great for newcomers. Another factor that is forgiving is that when the party leader dies you aren't immediately kicked to the game over screen. Which is common in most JRPGs, so thumbs up Octopath Traveler!
The next problem may be considered as a spoiler, but I won't go into full detail. The endgame dungeon sucks. It’s terribly designed, tedious, and longer than it should be. Once you enter it there’s no turning back, you can’t exit to stock up on supplies and there's no way to refill your health or magic bar while inside the dungeon. You refight eight bosses you encountered in the last few chapters of the game, each having more health than they originally had. You move onto the final boss who has more than two phases, and if you die you're sent back to the beginning of the dungeon. I’ve attempted this dungeon two times, and I say it’s the worst part of the game. I did everything else, all the traveler’s stories, a majority of the side quests, unlocked all secondary classes, but not the final dungeon. Personally if I had to design the final dungeon I would have made it where you have to traverse ten floors, each randomly generated possessing powerful loot, have a statue that refills health and magic before the final boss, and let the player fight the final boss without having to go through refights as it diminishes the original encounters.
My final problem with the game is one specific character. A character the entire community loves, but I hate because she’s really annoying. Tressa. I love all the travelers, Therion being my favorite little thief boy, but if I were to pick my least favorite it’s Tressa. She’s loud, has no clue about anything at all, and she doesn't even have a goal to work towards. The game does a good job reminding you of each character's personality and motives, but Tressa is where they take it too far. All the other travelers are venturing out for good reasons, but she’s doing it just because she wants to. I get that we need to have a character who is cute, wears a silly hat, is relatable in some way, and embodies childhood innocence, but what sucks about these types of characters is that the developers are trying too hard to be relatable or appeasing. Besides that, I really don’t have anything else bad to say about Octopath Traveler. Combat is great, the graphics are beautiful, a lot of build variety, and I love the cast.
Great Job Stealing The Show!
2018 was a great year for anything but the Triple A industry. It seems the Triple A industry is slowly beginning to forget what video games are supposed to be, fun. Assassins’ Creed: Odyssey is a bloated world of mediocre content and shows how Ubisoft’s open world design is outdated. EA is really losing themselves with the greedy sellout release of Battlefield V and the other disastrous multiplayer games they released the year before. Konami killed Metal Gear faster than you thought they would with the unasked for Metal Gear Survive. And while I’m going to get a lot of flack for saying it: Red Dead Redemption 2 was a game praised for its realism and story but no one acknowledged the fact how it wasn’t much of a video game. The only Triple A releases I can say were actually good: the assassination simulator Hitman 2, and the masterpiece in third person combat and storytelling that is God of War.
Back in 2018 I looked at Octopath Traveler and asked if it was willing to compete with all these big titles. These goliaths which have been in the game industry for the longest time. Will it stand out or easily be forgotten for how generic it was? Luckily it was a game that held Triple A quality and set a standard for what modern JRPGs should be. It proved that the old school design could work if you adjusted it with new mechanics to help flesh out the world, combat, and exploration. Even grinding, a huge problem in a majority of RPGs, was ignorable as Octopath had enough strengths to redeem itself. Octopath Traveler is one of the few games out there that I'd say is actually worth the sixty dollar price tag. Games really shouldn’t cost sixty dollars anymore. Sure it costs developers time and resources to make games, but at the same time they should be wondering if their general audience is getting their money’s worth. Is what you are getting a complete product, and this has been proven wrong with recent evidence by the Triple A industry. Pre-order bonuses, downloadable content, expansion packs, season passes, updates, and the product at release not being complete. You follow the motto of release release first, finish it later, which is not what you always want to do. Octopath Traveler is a complete package once you buy it and keeps giving you more as you spend time with it. The game is filled to the brim with content, and has more than a one hundred hours worth of gameplay. I have poured so much time into this game and I’ll pour more hours into it because I want to.
I will confidently say Octopath Traveler is one of my favorite games of all time and if any of the developers for the game are reading this essay I would love to say thank you. Thank you for making this game possible and helping me develop a passionate love for RPGs. Without you my love for gaming wouldn't have grown and I wouldn't have encountered some of my other favorite games. I wish the team the best of luck for Bravely Default 2 and any future projects . In the end I give Octopath Traveler a 10/10 for being down right incredible. It may not be perfect and there’s dozens of flaws, but it is somewhat of a masterpiece in my eyes. An underrated gem which we don't get often and more people should play. Please, just give this game a whirl.
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